Male Bonding
by Leni
Summary: Far in the future.... Okay, only four years later. Wallace accepts Logan's invitation to watch a game. LoVe.


**DISCLAIMER:** I wish.  
**SUMMARY:** Far in the future.... Okay, only four years later. Wallace accepts Logan's invitation to watch a game. LoVe.  
**WORDCOUNT:** ~2400  
_  
Written for **lovelylytton** at Christmas Drabbling._

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**MALE BONDING  
**_by Leni_

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Wallace winced as another high-pitched laugh reached his ears. "I'm blaming you, Logan," he told the only other guy at Veronica's place. If, seven years ago, someone would have told Wallace that by joining the pretty lonely blonde for lunch he'd be signing up for an evening of girly chatter while his one hope for sanity was Logan Echolls, Wallace would have kept walking to the next table.

In his defense, seven years ago Veronica Mars had been the last candidate at Neptune High to hold such a… feminine… meeting.

Logan answered by lowering the TV volume and reaching for another bottle of beer. He opened it with a quick twist of his hand, and then pressed it into Wallace's grasp.

It was the brand Wallace could only afford for special occasions. And it was cold. "All right, you're forgiven."

Seven years ago, a permanent invitation to the hottest Hollywood parties and an introduction to Sarah Jessica Parker wouldn't have swayed Wallace in Logan's favor. How things change, he thought as he tipped back his beer.

"I was cornered, man," Logan mumbled when the commercials started. "Veronica got this idea that I should stick around tonight. Have you tried saying no to her these last months?"

Wallace laughed. "These last months?" He shook his head, then remembered he was before the only man, besides Keith Mars, who had survived the wrath of Veronica (more or less) and, while the rest of them were still reeling from Veronica's sharp temper, Logan was (usually) back in her good graces a day after the storm. Lucky bastard. "My friend, you deserve a medal. Maybe a parade. _I_, on the other hand, did not deserve this ambush."

He'd come in good faith to Veronica's apartment, trying to be the best BFF and play nice with Veronica's on-again love of her life. He'd even asked for extra pepperoni on the pizza, knowing that was one of Logan's quirks.

The balloons at the front door had been a clue, but Backup had given him up before he could scramble back to the elevator. "You're a dead man," he'd mouthed to Logan as an over-enthusiastic Veronica hugged the breath out of him. "And you're a deader dog," he'd whispered to Backup when Veronica ran back inside for his party favor and the three males were momentarily left behind in the foyer.

Backup had wagged his tail against the floor, positioned at full attention while only his head moved along with the pizza box.

"Oh no, you aren't," Wallace had huffed out, heaving a sigh before he needed to convince his legs to take a right and march to the gallows. He'd had this sensation many times since meeting Veronica, but the scenario was usually a dark alley, a nest of robbers, and even her dad's office. Dreading a familiar living room decorated in bright green tones was a new page in the book of their friendship.

"I'll put that in the kitchen," Logan had interrupted his reverie, making a grab for the pizza.

Wallace had danced away from tonight's Judas. "I don't think so, Echolls."

Logan had smirked, looking scarily like the sleek cocky teenager he'd been in high school. Wallace had grit his teeth and sworn to make Veronica see the light this time, in a permanent manner. The guy would never be tamed, and… who was he kidding? Male egos had succumbed and pled for mercy when less astute men had tried to tame _her_. That Logan hadn't seen the inside of a cell for fourteen months straight told Wallace that this time their relationship was for keeps.

For the baby's sake, that might be for the better.

Then Logan gave a little shrug. "Well, then. I thought you'd be more comfortable in the kitchen, where the game _is_ on as I promised. But if you'd rather join Veronica's friends…."

To tell the truth, Wallace was very interested in getting to know Keith's latest assistant better. In the last year, since politics had put the last nail in the coffin of Keith's love for the Sheriff position, Mars Investigations had returned under his rule. Veronica had claimed to be glad, then she'd squirreled away the most appealing cases. Keith had chosen to turn a blind eye, much like he'd done since Veronica's junior year, and hired an assistant to pick up on both their slack. Then he'd hired another, and another…. Four women, two men, and a stunning blonde that had left Wallace speechless hadn't lasted long past their first check. But Katrina Black had managed to fill Veronica's old shoes, and for the last four months she'd been a welcome first sight at the office.

Wallace had been confident that he had plenty of time to charm the pretty redhead. Fool him - and allow him to state that he was blaming Logan for yet another mishap in his personal life. Wallace's plans had been thwarted in one sunny afternoon of August. Veronica had entered her father's office with a nervous smile and closed the door behind her; fifteen minutes later, she had walked out with a relieved expression and a hand curved absently over her belly. Wallace remembered putting his arm around her, reminding her that he'd known Keith would never hate her.

He hadn't counted on Keith Mars shifting his frustration onto the rest of the male species.

Ever since Veronica had announced the happy news, Keith had recovered that protective attitude that scared sane men away from any girl that, under less threatening circumstances, they might have been tempted to risk knocking up and not even have the decency to dust off the engagement rings.

Make no mistake, without his badge, Keith Mars was an even more formidable figure. There was no threat of unending paperwork keeping him from firing a couple shots to make his point, and the Mars family had this way about making their points.... In short, Mars Investigations had been closed for romance, and Wallace had been left with no tactical advantage to Katrina's time.

Until now.

"They have other games planned in there. Diaper games." Logan nodded to the doorway, an expression on his face Wallace hadn't seen since Keith had summoned his daughter's supposed ex boyfriend for a man-to-man meeting.

No, Wallace hadn't developed the power to sense when Logan was about to suffer excruciating pain. He wished he had, though; he'd even send Veronica to the rescue from time to time. It had been Katrina who had texted Veronica, and since Veronica had been too far away to make it back in time - "That's why he sent me all the way here. There better be a cheating husband in this motel or Dad is not seeing this baby until she graduates!" - she had called Wallace to make sure the father of her daughter was still alive for the birth (nobody had been telling Veronica that there was a good chance it'd be a boy; that way, her gloating had been minimal when the ultrasound confirmed her suspicions.)

That Wallace was seeing the same pale face, coupled with enough anxiety that it couldn't be masked under Logan's usual shark smile, told Wallace that he'd better off keeping his 'coincidental' meetings with Katrina at the coffee shop. A baby shower was not the kind of environment where he could exercise the Fennel magic, anyway.

"And they'll make you wear a baby bottle pin," Logan continued, lifting his sweater to reveal the miniature torture method.

Wallace gulped, steering the pizza towards the left. "Game in the kitchen. Gotcha!"

His one satisfaction was Backup's wide eyes when he left the dog on the other side of the kitchen door.

Now, with the basketball game off for the moment and no noise coming from the living room, Wallace dared to creep towards the door. An hour ago, it would have taken a SWAT team at his back to make such a move, but no shrieking sounds had filtered down the hall for the last fifteen minutes. Wallace shuddered as he remembered the giggling. Good Lord. _Giggling_. At least it hadn't been Veronica, but Wallace had wished that someone had thought to include a taser among the baby stuff. Even this strange, emotional Veronica would know to make that horrible sound stop. With a slow movement, he turned the door handle and peeked through the thin opening. "The coast is clear," he informed Logan.

Behind him, Logan chuckled as he set his beer on the kitchen aisle. "I thought you'd outgrown the Nancy Drew phase."

Wallace straightened and casually closed the door. "Bite me." Sue him. His best teenage memories included playing sidekick to a impetuous detective, and a part of him never wanted to let go. Besides, the man before him wasn't an example of shaking off the Veronica addiction. If anything, Wallace had seen Logan go through withdrawal, and it hadn't been a pretty sight. "We can watch the game in the big TV," he proposed, "On the sofa." He had nothing against kitchen chairs, but they hadn't been meant to be used for two hours straight.

"They'll come back," Logan said. "They've just gone to the bedroom to try on some stuff. I told Mac to time my gift for when Veronica's eyebrow started to twitch."

Wallace shuddered. "The giggling."

Logan's nod managed to be wise and mocking at the same time. Smug bastard. "We have ten more minutes, tops, if you wanna make a run for the bathroom."

Wallace considered the idea. If he didn't know better, he would swear that Logan had arranged the game so the half time coincided with their window of freedom. Which was impossible. Right? "You seem awfully sure that Veronica won't snap and run all the girls off any moment now."

Ah, there was that shark smile again. Back in high school, Wallace had wished he could punch it in; it'd been a shame that Logan and Veronica had started their so-called courting dance before he got the chance.

"Right at this moment, Veronica is happily distracted," Logan told him, confidence as natural as the timbre of his voice. "What can I say? My girl's always been fond of lacy lingerie."

Wallace made a face. While he'd admit to the occasional fantasy about Veronica, especially during those months/weeks/days between Logan's reappearances in her life, those moments of weakness had stopped the moment she showed him a blurry bean-shaped Echolls baby. "Dude. That's my best friend you're talking about."

Logan quirked an eyebrow and grabbed a fistful of chips before addressing him again. "You do know that I won't be sleeping on the couch when I move in, right? I happen to like lacy lingerie as well - on my girl. Amazing how we fit together, don't you think?"

Wallace forgot about shying away from the imagery. He even forgot about his pressing need for the bathroom. "You're moving in?" Veronica's neighbors still talked about the last break-up in 304 - the shouting, the crashing furniture, that Echolls guy knocking on the door until two in the morning and snarling at anyone coming his way. He hadn't resisted arrest, probably because it'd been the Sheriff himself who'd picked him up. Little did they know about the weeks that'd followed, how Veronica had checked her cellphone every five minutes and finally slung the poor thing through the window when a month passed by and the expected call didn't come.

At the time, Wallace had thought that they were done.

Thirteen months later, he was taking refuge from a baby shower in Veronica's kitchen, watching a basketball game with the baby's father. And they weren't even rooting for the same team.

Wallace had a vision of thirteen years down the line, watching Logan take out birthday cakes from the fridge and carve Thanksgiving turkeys (hopefully not homemade; Veronica couldn't change _that_ much) while their children kicked each other under the table. Yes, his children too, provided he ever got to ask Katrina out....

"Oh man."

Until this moment, it had never occurred to Wallace that he'd be chained to Logan Echolls for the rest of his life. Even when he'd narrowly avoided being the maid of honor last year, Wallace had always thought that some day, Veronica would tire of their game and cry uncle.

Instead, it was Wallace who was giving in.

Damn.

At least _his_ team was winning.

"Well. I'll be damned," Wallace said aloud. He walked to the fridge and snatched another beer - three more, and maybe the ground would stop shaking. Last week he had asked Veronica about her and Logan's living accommodations, what'd happen after Jessica was born. Veronica had shrugged, insisted that they were taking slow steps this time around. This was _not_ slow. "Who's telling Keith?"

The last time, Neptune police force had obtained a commendation from the governor himself, for a record in successful convictions and a crime low in town. Meanwhile, the Sheriff's men had smiled tightly at the ceremony and avoided their boss's notice for months.

"Calm down, Wallace. Bail jumpers in America won't suffer the fury of Keith Mars." Logan sounded so relaxed. If Wallace were in his shoes…. He chuckled at himself. If he were in Logan's shoes, he wouldn't have survived his teens. On the TV, the Coke ad ran to an end and the commentator was back on, rattling off names and positions. Logan motioned to the chair next to him and waited until Wallace took his seat. "Keith will understand that it's perfectly normal for an engaged couple to live together."

Wallace was glad he'd swallowed down his last sip. Damn. Damn. _Damn_. "Because that worked out last time," he blurted out. He expected Logan to shrug the comment off with his usual cool, or to be given the cold shoulder for the rest of the evening.

Instead Logan pressed the mute button and turned toward him. "It will work, Fennel. If there are more lessons to learn, I'm getting home-schooled in them."

Wow.

In the silence of the room, Wallace could make out the laughter coming from the direction of the master bedroom. He recognized Veronica's laugh among it, the real, undiluted version that he'd heard no more times than he had fingers.

"Good for you, then." To his own surprise, the sentence sounded completely sincere. "Just don't expect anything from me. I haven't forgotten you never returned my last gift."

Logan chuckled. "Because it broke down the moment we plugged it in."

"Did not!"

A stadium full of cheering returned to the kitchen. "Just watch the game, Wallace."

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**The End  
**03/01/10


End file.
